“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
John 16:13
Jesus is pretty amazing! On top of the huge and awesome mission “to seek and save the lost,” (Luke 19:10), Christ was perfectly present every day of His ministry. He was amenable to the will of the Father at every moment! Think about it, from the beginning to the end of His ministry, this was Jesus! He “had to pass through Samaria” on His way north to Galilee, so He could meet the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus was constantly being “interrupted” with sick, blind, lame, deaf, mute, etc. people needing the healing only God could provide. He was consistently moved with compassion.
On Sunday, we looked into Luke 18: 35-43, the blind man on the road to Jericho that Jesus healed. The leaders of the crowd were focused on getting to Jerusalem for Passover. They were laser focused in their mission, so they rebuked the man who sought the mercy of Christ. Jesus’ focus was on His upcoming crucifixion and resurrection. However, Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, remained in perfect harmony with the Father, and therefore was open and willing to heal this man who cried out for mercy. The man was healed, and God was glorified, all because Jesus was open to the will of the Father as He went.
So, as you go about your daily to-do list, are you open to the people and things that God desires for you? It can be tough! We have so many voices and distractions coming at us from all angles. So without the desire to be flexible to God’s will and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to do so, it’s going to be impossible for you and me to be obedient to God’s will in our unforeseen, day-to-day interactions. Here are three ways we can pray about this:
- Repentance: “Lord, forgive me. I have been too focused and presumptuous on what I thought was most important. I know I have missed opportunities to show your love.”
- Discernment: “Lord, help me. Your will is not my will, nor are your thoughts my thoughts. Help me to know which opportunities are from you.”
- Ability: “Lord, help me to be alert to your will as I go about my day and not get wrapped in my to-do list.”
